SAA Orange Tail

Januarie/January 1969

No. 61

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ROOSKLEURIG

In ‘n atmosfeer van feestelike vrolikheid, het duisende skou­rose die grout skares begroet wat onlangs die jaarlikse „The Star”-roosskou in die Johannesburgse stadsaal bygewoon het.

Die skou was op so ‘n vernuftige wyse aangebied, dat dit besoekers ‘n kykie op die gebied van wëreldrooskwekery verleen het en is deur die middagblad „The Star’in samewerking met die Roosvereniging van Suid-Afrika onderneem.

Die pragtige rose wat die besoekers so bekoor het, kon egter alleenlik hul skoustandaard behou het deurdat hulle van Nieu-Seeland en Israel per lug vervoer is.

Op ons foto van links na regs hou mej. Thelma Menderin rose van Nieu-Seeland af, wat deur Qantas en die S.A.L. na Suid-Afrika vervoer is; mej. Gail Goldring van EL-AL vertoon rose vanaf Israel, terwyl mevrou Doreen Jackson van die Roos­vereniging van Suid-Afrika toekyk.

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PLANNING FOR TOMORROW

PRESENT SYSTEMS OF PASSENGER processing will not be capable of coping with the traffic increases expected in the next few years. An airline computer-ticketing and passenger processing working group of I.A.T.A. is now studying all aspects of the problem. The approach involves all elements of a total system – fare construction, ticket issuance and traffic acceptance, check-in controls and the revenue accounting and interline settlement functions. Five project teams involving over 70 men are engaged in this work, and qualified vendors throughout the world were recently sent a set of machine readable document specifications which include the passenger ticket, credit card and baggage tag. This action is intended to establish the vendors’ interest in the project, so that after further refinement the necessary environmental hardware testing can be carried out. The need to handle larger amounts of baggage more efficiently is a constant challenge to the baggage handling experts. The im­pact of baggage containers planned for the big jets and the use of automated baggage systems are important factors in these studies. Rapid movement of passengers within the airport complex is also a problem of major concern. The recent development by I.A.T.A. of approximately 30 directional and location signs has resulted in a solution for at least one aspect of this problem. Further work with the International Civil Aviation Organization should point the way to an even more acceptable system of airport sign posting in the future.

One of the air industry’s earliest accomplishments was the standard interline passenger ticket which enabled a passenger to travel anywhere in the world with only one transport document. At the beginning of 1968, the ticketing committee, jointly sponsored by I.A.T.A. and the Air Traffic Conference of America, launched new forms of manually-issued and machine-issued tickets which considerably improved passenger check-in and related handling problems. Other industry-agreed passenger traffic forms and procedures are the subject of continued study and refinement.

The I.A.T.A. Reservations Working Group has been giving close attention to the need for improved and effective reservations procedures in the future.

Vast sums of money have been and are being spent by airlines for reservation computers and further substantial technological progress is now being achieved in computerized reservations and message switching systems.

Standard interline reservations message formats are being reviewed in the light of increased demands and hardware improvement.

The need for effective and systematic forward planning of airline systems and airport facilities is rapidly becoming critical. On behalf of member airlines, I.A.T.A. is continuing to make every effort to plan for tomorrow and to do this in co-operation with govern­ments, airport authorities and other interested organizations.

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PAALSIT-ONDERNEMING VIR LIEFDADIGHEID

‘n Insamelingsveldtog vir die burgemeestersvrou se liefdadigheidsfonds is onlangs in Kempton Park gehou. Die hoofdoel van die veldtog was om fondse in te samel vir die oprigting van n lang-benodigde jeugsentrum vir dië dorp en ook om by te dra tot die voorsiening van geskikte losies en inwoning vir jong mense waarvoor ‘n behoefte ook reeds lankal bestaan. Dit sal die personeel van die S.A.L. insluit wie se dienspligte hulle van tyd tot tyd noodsaak om vir kort periodes van hulle tuistes af weg te wees.

Een van die hoogtepunte was sonder twyfel die paalsitnonimer wat ‘n hele week geduur het.

Nadere ondersoek net aan die lig gebring dat die man wat die wind, reën, son en koue nagte bo-op die wiegende paal getrotseer het niemand anders is as mnr. G.L (Gerrie) Smit, seniorklerk, Tariewekantoor, Johannesburg.

Terwyl hierdie geleentheid hom voorgedoen het gedurende sy jaarlikse verlof het Gerrie, met die oog op ‘n bietjie afleiding besluit om die uitdaging te aanvaar.

Gewapen met matras, kosware en slegs die allernodigste middele het hy daarin geslaag om in die 35-voet hoë „kraaines’te bly vir ‘n hele week – bloot vir die pret.

Gerrie in sy ,kraaines” op die vyfde dag.

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NEW ZS LETTERING FOR S.A.A.’S FLEET

A complete re-registration of South African Airways’ Boeing jet fleet is in the process of being carried out, primarily with the object of eliminating confusion in the divergent present registrations of the Boeings which were purchased during various intervals. For the sake of conformity all S.A.A.’s international jets will in due course bear the letter A in their registrations and domestic aircraft the letter B.

The proposed new allocations will be as follows: 

The lettering of S.A.A.’s three high-capacity Boeing 747′s will be ZS-SAL. ZS-SAM and ZS-SAN.

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HEALTHY WORKER IS HAPPY

The man who never goes sick is almost sure to be content with his job.

This is suggested by results of a new research study which shows that “going sick” is closely related to personality.

A medical team who studied 194 workers found that those who never had a day off were typically stable people, who nearly all took definite pleasure in their work. Only one in 10 wanted more responsibility. But more than half those who were off five or six times a year for short spells did not enjoy their jobs and two out of three wanted more responsibility.

The healthy ones tended to be outgoing extroverted types. Those ill for long spells were generally neurotic and introverted.

The doctors magazine in Britain ”Lancet”, reporting on the research recently, comments: “The most important factors seem to be a man’s attitudes to­wards himself, his work and his health”.

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ETENSUURSPORT – ONOORWONNE

Sedert die jaarlikse rugby- „Derby” tussen die personeel­en uitgawekantore op Jan Smuts verflou het as gevolg van ‘n tekort aan spelers, hat die werkwinkelklerke van die ingenieurs­afdeling besluit om oor te neem.

Die span se prestasie is merkwaardig as in aanmerking geneem word dat daar net 17 klerke in die ingenieursafdeling is, en dat 15 van hulle so goed op die rugbyveld uitgeblink het.

Vyf wedstryde is gespeel, en vyf oorwinnings is behaal.

Teen 1. Elektriese groep, wen 8-3 2. Uitgawekantoor, wen 13-6 3. Viscountloods, wen 14-8 4. Boeing 727-loods wen 15-6 5. Publikasies, wen 14-0

Die puntemasjien vir die ingenieursafdeling was die Pieterse­broers met Coen, 20 en Jan, 28. Hulle is gehelp met pragtige dekwerk in die agterlyn deur Steward Franke en verbete voor­spelerspel waar Daan van Niekerk, Barry Ouwenkamp en Piet van Tonder uitgeblink het.

Ons wens die nuwe kampioene geluk en wonder wat hulle toekomsplanne is.

Agter:_ (L na R) B. Hegers, T. Lourens, B. Ouwenkamp, J. Steenkanip, S. Franke, D, van Niekerk en H. Botha. Voor: T. Lategan, J. Geel, K. Pieterse, l. Pieterse, C. Pieterse, P, van Tonder en B. Lerm. Afwesig: S. Mollentze.

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WELL DONE

The Hon. H.L.T. Taswell, South African Ambassador to Washington congratulates Reg Brett (right), Regional Manager, North America, at a reception recently held by S.A.A. in New York to mark the proposed service which will be inaugurated on February 23, between Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro and New York.

Len Jordaan (left), Sales Manager, North America and Andre Joubert, Assistant Manager: S.A. Tourist Corporation, beam approvingly.

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BOEINGS IN BRAILLE

Boeingvliegtuie is reeds in baie tale beskryf, insluitende Arabies, Indies, Portugees, Hebreeus, lapanees en vole meer. Nou is ‘n nuwe dimensie egter bygevoeg. Beskrywings van die stralervliegtuie is nou ook beskikbaar in braille en „foto’s” van die vliegtuie is naas die beskrywings gebosseleer vir die gerief van diegene wat blind is.

Die braille-projek dien as erkenning van die selfvertroue van meer as 300,000 blinde mense in die V.S.A. Baie van hulle wou meer weet van die vliegtuie waarin hulle reis. Nou het dit moontlik geword. ‘n Paar eenvoudige, aantreklike inligtingsblaaie is ontwerp vir die blindes. Vyf van die belangrikste groot Boeing­stralers is in relief uitgobeeld en kort spesifikasies is in braille daarby gevoeg. Die vliegtuie, insluitende die Boeing 747-super­straler, is volgens skaal, naas mekaar op plastiek-verstewigde papier gedruk.

Die Braille-vereniging van Kansas, V.S.A., Posbus 17032, Wichita 67217, is bereid om beperkte getalle bykomstige afskrifte of selfs die sleutelstelle, aan organisasies vir blindes beskikbaar te stel.

Wanneer ‘n blinde persoon in die toekoms besluit om per Boeingstraler te reis, kan so ‘r passasier mede-reisigers die loef afsteek met die juiste besonderhede aangaande vliegtuigafmetings, sitplekindeling, spoed en dravermoë.

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GOLD WINDOWS FOR 747

The Boeing 747 will, apart from its size, also possess another unique characteristic. Windows of pure gold! The gold, however, will not be visible as it is sprayed onto the window glass in a thin microscopic layer.

This is done so that the windows may be electrically heated in order to prevent steaming up or ice forming on them. Gold has been chosen for this purpose since it is one of the best conductors of heat and because this precious metal’s atomic structure makes it transparent when thinned down sufficiently.

All windows as well as the cockpit panes will have this little layer of gold which will only be 2.4 billionth of an inch thick – this is 100,000 times thinner than ordinary writing paper. It means that an ounce of gold will be sufficient for about 80 aircraft windows.

Although there is no water vapour at the altitudes at which the giant jets fly and consequently also no moisture or ice, steam and ice still rapidly form when the aircraft lands.

With this groundlayer the temperature of the exterior of the windows will always be kept above freezing level even if the 747 operates at altitudes where the temperature is as low as 65 degrees below freezing point.

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IT’S BETTER TO GIVE . . .

Mike Vermeulen, Baggage Clerk at the Airways Terminal in Cape Town, spends his spare time by achieving happiness through giving of himself to underpriviledged children. A “Camp­craft Uncle ‘ of the Campcraft Youth Association, Mike and his fellow-workers entertain the “have-not” children on camping trips, picnics, day outings and that greatest of all South African customs, the braaivleis. Multi-vitamin tablets are supplied to the more needy of these children.

Mike calls at the homes of his “flock” – just to say “hello” and leaves happiness in the form of a packet or two of sweets.

To the child that has nothing, and unfortunately they are numerous, a ride in a car, a carefree romp on the beach, a five cent plastic car or a ride on a playground merry-go-round really means something. To the underpriviledged child those things that we take for granted, day by day, are minute for minute wonders.

And the reward? You cannot touch it or measure it in terms of rand or cents, but the radiance of the child’s smile after he had “braaied” his piece of meat himself, is as warming as the fire on which it was done. Bravo Mike!

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